Fuel filters are found in almost all modern internal combustion engines in one form or another. A fuel filter is a filter that is placed at some point in the fuel line and is designed to remove unwanted contaminates or particulates from the supply of fuel. If these contaminates are not removed before the fuel enters the engine, they can cause rapid wear and failure of such items as fuel pumps, injectors, and cylinders due to the abrasive action of the particles on high-precision components. Fuel filters also can improve performance of the engine, as the less contaminants in the fuel, the more efficiently it can be burned. In many potential engine system designs space constraints would not allow for a conventional circular filter element.